Overseas recruitment to end – now it’s time to carefully protect exploited workers 

By Louise Gleich, Policy Research and Advocacy Lead at Justice & Care

One of the most headline-grabbing initiatives in the Government’s new immigration white paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System was to ‘end overseas recruitment for social care visas’.   

Due to high staff shortages in the adult social care sector, a new visa route was opened in 2022. Since then, thousands of social care workers have been recruited from overseas to work in the UK’s care homes and ‘at home’ care services with our elderly and vulnerable adults. Sadly, many of these carers have been deceived, charged illegal and extortionate fees, stuck without any work and, in the worst cases, exploited in modern slavery.   

Justice & Care is supporting a number of these workers to leave their abusive situations and assisting those who now have no job because they were unfairly dismissed or lost their job when their exploitative employer’s licence to sponsor overseas workers was revoked. 

Various changes were made to the visa scheme in 2024 and in April this year but the news that the UK Government intends to stop overseas recruitment entirely is the most significant yet. So, how will it impact exploited workers in the adult care sector and what further action is needed?  

We have identified four key opportunities presented by the White Paper – but to prevent exploitation successfully and support victims appropriately, the government, the care sector and local authorities need to go much further than the measures set out so far. 

1. Possible reduction in the flow of new visa-holders into exploitation in the care sector

Whilst some exploitation certainly occurred in the care sector before overseas recruitment was allowed, data clearly shows that reports of exploitation in the care sector increased dramatically after the visa route was opened. This is no doubt due to the widely reported lack of adequate scrutiny in the system and the tied-nature of the visa giving sponsors great power over the workers they bring to the UK. Stopping legal recruitment from overseas may stop unscrupulous actors profiting from a ‘revolving door’ approach to recruitment and exploitation of overseas workers who they charge excessive fees.

However, there is a risk of increased exploitative recruitment in the period before the rules change with even higher (illegal) fees charged to workers seeking to come to the UK while visas are still available.  Ending overseas recruitment will also not prevent exploitation entirely. Overseas care workers who are already in the UK and people on other visas or with irregular immigration status may still be exploited in the sector. We need the government and the care sector (including private owners, investors and public sector commissioners) to take greater responsibility for preventing exploitation in the sector itself.

‘The money I paid to my employer was never returned, and the emotional toll—on both myself and my family—was ignored.‘

– Sarah*, an individual supported by Justice & Care following care sector exploitation. Read her thoughts on the government announcement here.

2. Opportunity to increase re-employment of displaced overseas workers

The White Paper says that overseas care workers already in the UK will be able to extend their visas until 2028. The Government has also said that it will explore making it easier for workers to switch to a different sponsoring employer. In our At what cost? report last October, we recommended a pause on the recruitment of overseas care workers to focus on finding new employment for the thousands of displaced workers unable to work because their sponsor’s licence was revoked or they were forced to leave due to the exploitative conditions. We also recommended that the government make it easier to change to a new sponsor, so these commitments are very welcome. The Government must prioritise the proposed work to make it easier to switch to a new sponsor so that this change can be put in place quickly.  Workers should also be consulted so that the barriers are fully understood. 

However, existing mechanisms are not working to help most displaced workers into employment. The Department for Health and Social Care has funded regional local authority hubs specifically to help overseas care workers whose employers sponsorship licence was revoked to find new employment. But data shows that between July 2024 and February 2025 only 6% of the displaced workers who approached the regional hubs were successfully assisted into employment. Many more workers have left their exploitative situation, forced out by their employer and the bad conditions. We simply do not know how many displaced workers in total are in need of new employers.   

The care sector still has significant job vacancies so there is an opportunity to link employers with workers, but it is clear the current approach is not meeting the needs of worker or employers. We have yet to see the impact of the immigration rule changes from April 2025 which requires care sector employers to first try to recruit displaced international workers before they will be allowed to bring someone new from overseas. Unless there is a step change in the process to help displaced overseas workers find new sponsors , the White Paper is unlikely to help vast numbers of overseas workers in need of employment. This will leave these displaced workers at continued risk of further exploitation in social care or other sectors and the adult care sector will still be in need of new staff. 

‘Instead of enforcing new rules, authorities should focus on bridging the gap between job seekers and employers. Many people, including my friends, are still searching for sponsors but lack guidance or support. Exploitation in the care sector continues unchecked, and the lack of awareness about available help or proper channels worsens the situation.‘

– Sarah*, an individual supported by Justice & Care following care sector exploitation

3. Protecting exploited overseas workers through transition arrangements 

Although the option to extend existing care worker visas and change to a new sponsor will be in place until 2028, exploited overseas care workers will be affected by other changes that could impact their long-term recovery. Many exploited care workers will not be able to meet the extended qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (which is increasing from five to ten years). Some may also be impacted by higher English language thresholds. The Government must ensure that the process through which workers can reduce the qualifying period through ‘contributions to the UK economy and society’ will take account of the essential work care workers do looking after vulnerable people in our community.  There should also be consideration of the particular circumstances of exploited workers.  

‘The proposed changes to extend the ILR qualification period, especially if applied retrospectively, would have devastating consequences on our lives.‘

– Sarah*, an individual supported by Justice & Care following care sector exploitation

4. Greater accountability for those directly and indirectly implicated in exploitation. 

The Government has said it will introduce ‘innovative financial measures, penalties or sanctions’ for sponsors of migrant workers to hold them more accountable for their sponsorship practices. Some new measures were introduced in November 2024, so it isn’t clear if the White Paper is offering something more, but we welcome the intention to introduce new sanctions on sponsors who are exploiting workers.   

However, the Government needs to ensure effective enforcement so that sanctions will lead to a change in behaviour by sponsors and justice for victims. The Government is setting up a new Fair Work Agency (FWA) to enforce labour rights. If the new FWA is given the right powers resources and strategy, it could strengthen engagement with the care sector to improve working conditions and take a strong approach to enforcing sanctions where exploitation occurs. 

Sanctions also need to be meaningful. Fines at a level exploiters are happy to pay (or can avoid through shutting their business with no other consequence), or a revocation of their licence will leave exploited workers either stuck with the same exploitative employer, or unable to work unless they can find a new sponsor. Neither of these options offers true justice to victims. It is our experience that the current enforcement authorities (such as the GLAA or the police) are finding it hard to bring charges for exploitative behaviour under the existing legislation. 

The Government needs to address the challenges for criminal prosecution so that exploiters receive the punishment they deserve. Survivors of exploitation, who have often paid thousands of pounds in illegal fees to their sponsor or recruitment agent, should also be compensated.  The Government should look at how to improve their access to compensation. 

Sponsors are not the only ones who must take greater responsibility for addressing and preventing exploitation in the adult care sector. Local authorities spent £22.3 billion on adult social care in 2023/24 (with expenditure rising). As commissioners of social care services, local authorities need to take much greater responsibility to ensure they are not funding the exploitation of care workers. Likewise, many social care providers are private businesses (many owned by private-equity firms). All these private enterprises need to recognise their responsibilities – not just for the provision of care but also to prevent the exploitation of their staff. The possibility of exclusion from public procurement contracts under the Procurement Act 2023 where modern slavery or labour market offences are evidenced should be given serious consideration by both commissioners and care companies.   

Conclusion 

The Government has said in bringing forward the White Paper and particularly the changes to the visas for care sector workers that it wants to prevent exploitation.  Some of these measures may help to do that – but much more is needed to be effective, and the Government cannot do this alone: the sector and its investors needs to take responsibility too. 

*name changed to protect identity